Understandings
by Sidney Ella Ford
Summary: Poseidon and Athena discuss the relationship of Percy and Annabeth.


**This is a replacement of a story I posted a little while ago that was kinda-sorta-absolutely suckish, and I wanted to re-write it, because it was an awful first shot at PJO. If you reviewed before and you want to say something else, I have anonamous reviews enabled, so have at it. I do not own PJO, Rick Riordan does. I hope this makes up for the tragic first shot.**

It was mid-June, the summer after the defeat of Kronos. Olympus was under construction, under the direction of Annabeth Chase and the watchful eye of her mother, Athena. As Athena sat on her throne, observing the work her daughter was doing, a man came into the room and sat on his own throne.

"Poseidon," she said curtly, not in the mood for her uncle's foolishness.

"Athena," he greeted. Athena now saw that his son had accompanied him, and was now talking to her daughter.

_She needs no more distractions from that boy_ she thought to herself. _He doesn't remember my warning..._

"Now, now, no rash decisions, I'd rather my son not be pulverized at the moment."

She ignored him and studied his son. The way he acted around her daughter, the way he was openly affectionate to her, it infuriated the woman who's presence was built on wisdom and battle. Not a good combination for the boy...

"Athena, I said, you will _not_ hurt Percy," Poseidon said more firmly.

"No, I suppose it is not neccassary at the moment," she said, not removing her gaze from the boy.

"Why are your feelings for my son so contemptful? He only seeks to please you, he know you are the only way he can have what he truly desires. Why do you put him down?" he asked quietly, earnestly.

"He is foolish, he does not know how to please me. He does not know what he desires," she argued, turning her cold eyes upon the father of the boy being discussed.

"He knows that you care about your daughter, as I care about him. He wants only to please you so that you will accept the feelings he has for Annabeth," Poseidon argued quietly, leaning toward the Athena.

"And what would those feelings be?" she said, leaning forward as well, putting as much venom in the word 'feelings' as possible.

"He loves her, you ignorant woman!" he half-shouted, drawing some of the workers' attention. He shooed them quickly.

"You will _not _speak to me in that manner," a now furious Athena screeched. "How can the boy know he loves her, tell me! Would he get that wisdom from his father?"

"He is wiser than me, you of all people should know that!" he roared. "Do not judge my son on my own mistakes!"

"A boy is like his father! How am I to know the boy will not leave my daughter with her heart in peices? How am I to know he will stay loyal to her? He will not toy with my daughter!"

"My son," Poseidon said tersely, "is the most loyal _man_ I know. He remains loyal to the Olympians, the Half-Bloods, the mortals. He was loyal to his enemies, to those who betrayed him. And I assure you, what he feels for your daughter is stronger than any feeling for a woman I have experienced."

"And that is saying so much," Athena said sarcastically. "If you have not noticed, you seem to be very free with your 'love,' and I will not watch my daughter be with a boy who will do the same."

"My son is not me, he does not make the mistakes I do. He will not hurt your daughter," he insisted, to no avail. He stood and stalked to the woman, taking her arm and pulling her to a newly finished fountain. In a moment, they were looking at an Iris Message of their children. "Don't glare at my son, but look at our children."

Athena watched as the two teenagers, ignorant to the spying eyes of their parents, continued what they had been working on. Under Annabeth's instruction, Percy was doing some heavy lifting. Little did he know, she was fooling him, so all he was really doing was walking in circles carrying the solid gold head of a statue of Apollo.

"It seems as though your daughter enjoys toying with people as well," Poseidon said smugly, grinning a bit at the spectacle. He regained his focus as he watched as his son finally caught on and put the head on the ground, then glared at the girl.

"She was simply having fun with a foolish child," Athena argued, then pointed to the image. "See now, he's being so openly... _Physical_ with her!"

At that moment, Percy had rushed Annabeth and thrown her over his shoulder, taking her toward a small fish-pond. The second before he dumped her in, she caught his neck and kissed him fully on the lips.

"Unless my eyes deceive me, your daughter was just openly affectionate, not the other way around," Poseidon said, radiating self-pleasure. He really thought he was getting to Athena.

"What does it prove? She can still have her heart broken, she can still be let down," she argued, refusing to allow such a-such a _Seaweed Brain_ (Annabeth had _her _saying it now) get the best of her. She wouldn't. But then...

Athena watched as the boy sat her daughter on her feet. He beamed at her, lacing his fingers through hers. 'What now?' she read his lips saying. Her daughter point to a sketch pad and pencil, which he gave to her right away. He brow furrowed as she was hit with an idea, and began drawing furiously. Athena watched as the boy touched the girl's brow-bone, smoothing the wrinkled skin there. She continued to work, he continued to tend to her. If a stray hair fell into her eyes, he would stroke it back. If a leaf landed on her pad, he would remove it.

The image faded out and Poseidon looked at Athena sincerely. "He loves her, he lives for her, he could never hurt her. Please, do not discourage this."

Athena set her jaw stubbornly, then sighed. She knew his words to be true, by denying the truth in the scene she had just veiwed she would be a fool, but she would not acknowledge the fact that he had won that particular argument. "This does not change anything about _our_ relationship."

"Understood," the man said, grinning in triumph.

"But if Percy and Annabeth wish to be closer, I will not stop them," she said carefully, turning to leave him. For a second she turned back, the slightest trace of a smile on her face. "You have a good son with a good head on his shouders. But he hurts my daughter, and I incinerate him."

**A/N: Please review, I hope this is better than the first post. **

**~Sidney**


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